Portfolio · Backend, Systems, Automation

Building backend applications and the systems that support them.

I am Kenneth Clauwaert, an IT Support Engineer with hands-on experience in enterprise Active Directory environments, self-hosted Linux infrastructure, and Laravel-based application development. My work combines backend development, deployment workflows, and systems thinking.

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Current focus

Working as IT Support Engineer at De Stroomlijn (Fluvius) while running a self-hosted Linux VPS with Docker, Nginx, and Cloudflare — and building production Laravel applications alongside.

PHP 8.2

Core backend stack

Laravel 11

Main framework

Linux

Self-hosted infrastructure

Live

Production deployment

About

Support-grounded, systems-minded, backend-focused.

My background is IT support in an enterprise Active Directory environment. That work built a foundation in structured troubleshooting, operational thinking, and understanding how systems actually behave under real conditions.

Outside of work, I run a self-hosted Linux VPS with Docker, Nginx, and Cloudflare, and build production Laravel applications. My development work is focused on backend architecture, deployment workflows, and building systems that are maintainable and operationally sound.

What I bring

Enterprise IT support background Production deployment experience Self-hosted Linux infrastructure Structured troubleshooting Backend-first thinking Operational reliability focus

Projects

Selected work and case studies.

A selection of projects that show progression in architecture, domain modelling, user flows, and practical development thinking.

collectorwwii.eu

Flagship project

View case study →

CollectorWWII

A full-stack Laravel application designed to manage and showcase a WWII collection through structured content, advanced filtering, and media handling.

Built dynamic filtering for categories, nationality, origin, and organisation.
Implemented media handling for images and documents with main-image logic.
Created admin CRUD flows for books and items.
Focused on clean UI and content-first browsing with Tailwind and Vite.

Visit live site Case study

Laravel PHP MySQL Tailwind Media handling

CMS / Architecture

Case study on request →

Collection CMS

A custom CMS-oriented project focused on flexible collections, configurable data structures, and a more scalable content management approach.

Designed around custom collections and structured fields.
Focused on maintainability and extensibility rather than one-off pages.
Worked with content modelling and backend-oriented administration logic.

PHP CMS Data modelling Backend logic

Ordering system

Case study on request →

Pizzamore

An online ordering application built with a layered PHP architecture, focusing on business logic separation, data access patterns, and customer ordering flows.

Separated presentation, services, and data access concerns.
Implemented product, customer, and order flows in structured layers.
Demonstrated early architectural thinking beyond basic script-based PHP.

PHP OOP DAO pattern Ordering flow

Structured PHP app

Case study on request →

De Broodkunstenaar

A PHP-based product and order management project using service and data layers, demonstrating early code organisation and domain-oriented thinking.

Built around product, order, and user entities with service classes.
Used a layered structure to separate business logic from presentation.
Serves as an example of how I approached maintainability in plain PHP.

PHP Services Data layer Domain entities

Team project / Agile

View case study →

Prularia

An e-commerce project developed in a collaborative Agile context. This project matters not only for the application itself, but for the process behind it: working iteratively, coordinating implementation, and contributing to a shared delivery flow.

Worked in a team context rather than as a solo build.
Contributed within an Agile workflow focused on iterative delivery.
Combined technical work with communication, alignment, and shared ownership.

Agile collaboration PHP E-commerce flows Team delivery Iteration

Case study

CollectorWWII — from collection management to a structured Laravel application.

A deeper look at the project that best represents my current direction: practical Laravel development, clean data structures, and a real content-management problem.

Context

The problem

Managing a growing WWII collection through static pages or loosely structured content quickly becomes difficult. The project needed a system that could organise books and items clearly, support media-rich entries, and make browsing intuitive for end users.

Role

My contribution

I designed and implemented the application structure, with a focus on backend logic, data organisation, admin workflows, filtering, and the overall content experience.

Implementation

What I built

Structured CRUD flows for books and collection items.
Dynamic filters for categories, nationality, origin, and organisation.
Media handling for images and documents, including main-image selection.
Tailwind-based frontend with cleaner browsing and navigation patterns.
Deployment and infrastructure work around Laravel, Nginx, SSL, backups, and Cloudflare.

Outcome

Why it matters

This project shows how I approach a real-world content problem: not just writing code, but designing a usable system with maintainable backend logic, a coherent admin flow, and infrastructure that can actually run in production.

Skills

Technical stack and areas of depth.

Backend

PHP 8.2, Laravel 11, MySQL, Eloquent ORM, routing, validation, CRUD architecture, content modelling, admin workflows, polymorphic media handling, Artisan CLI.

Frontend

HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Tailwind CSS, Vite, Alpine.js, responsive layouts, accessible markup, content-first interface decisions.

Systems

Ubuntu Linux, Nginx (reverse proxy, SSL), Docker, UFW, Cloudflare (DNS, caching, WAF), Backblaze B2, SSH management, server hardening, automated backups, VPS deployment.

Workflow

Git, issue-driven development, structured debugging, Pest testing, production-minded delivery, Jira, Active Directory administration, iterative improvement.

Contact

Available for backend, systems, and automation roles.

I am looking for roles where backend development, Linux-based systems, and automation come together in practical, operational work. Available for full-time roles and project-based collaboration.

Email Professional contact and role enquiries [email protected] Resume / CV View online or download PDF Open GitHub Open source projects and code KennethCLA LinkedIn Professional profile ↗

Most interested in backend engineering, infrastructure roles, automation work, and teams building real systems with practical operational needs.

Open to

Backend developer roles, PHP / Laravel positions, infrastructure and systems work, automation-focused projects, and teams where operational reliability matters.

Backend developer PHP / Laravel Infrastructure / systems Automation Belgium or remote